The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. Turkey and Cyprus in particular, while geologically Asian, possess elements of European culture and may be regarded as parts of Europe. The link between these peninsulas has made Europe a dominant economic, social, and cultural force throughout recorded history.Europe's physical geography, environment and resources, and human geography can be considered separately.Europe can be divided into four major physical regions, running from north to south: Western Uplands, North European Plain, Central Uplands, and Alpine Mountains.Western UplandsThe Western Uplands, also known as the Northern Highlands, curve up the western edge of Europe and define the physical landscape of Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, and Denmark), Finland, Iceland, Scotland, Ireland, the Brittany region of France, Spain, and Portugal.The Western Uplands is defined by hard, ancient rock that was shaped by glaciation. Some critics argue these attitudes are xenophobic. Steppe plains cover the north of Kazakhstan. 1996 - 2023 National Geographic Society. If you have questions about licensing content on this page, please contact ngimagecollection@natgeo.com for more information and to obtain a license. Indebted countries must now deal with strict budgets and declining incomes while more financially stable countries are forcing taxpayers to help fund the financial rescue.The status of immigrants is also a source of tension and debate in Europe. Looking for interesting facts about Austria? From the smallest town in the world to the biggest church on earth, and from a knighted penguin to a country free of mosquitoes, there are hundreds of random and fun facts about Europe. I think the same issue applies to Turkey, which unlike Russia sees itself as belonging more to Europe than Asia, politically and economically. But, I agree - the lines are very blurred. The climate supports a wide variety of seasonal crops. I think this makes it easy to assume they are not part of continental Europe. It is home to many navigable rivers, including the Rhine, Weser, Elbe, Oder, and Vistula. The ancient, often mineral-laden rocks of the northwestern highlands, their contours softened by prolonged erosion and glaciation, are found throughout much of Iceland, in Ireland, and in northern and western Britain and Scandinavia. Nonetheless, in manufacturing and agriculture Europe still occupies an eminent, if no longer necessarily predominant, position. Europe extends from the island nation of Iceland in the west to the Ural Mountains of Russia in the east. 4. The cold water surrounding northern Britain and Scandinavia is home to unique species of cold-water corals. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. Key Facts. To read all future answers to your comment, please bookmark this page. The worn-down Ural Mountains also belong in that category, and their highest point, Mount Narodnaya (6,217 feet [1,895 metres]), corresponds approximately to that of the Massif Central in south-central France. Topography often records the various elevations of an area using a topographical map. The highest summit in Iceland is Hvannadals Peak, at 6,952 feet (2,119 metres), while Ben Nevis, the highest peak in Great Britain, stands at an elevation of only 4,406 feet (1,343 metres). Its major peninsulas include Jutland and the Scandinavian, Iberian, Italian, and Balkan peninsulas. Encyclopedic entry. Most extensive between the Baltic and White seas in the north and the Black, Azov, and Caspian seas in the south, the lowland area narrows westward, lying to the south of the northwestern highlands; it is divided also by the English Channel and the mountains and plateaus of central Europe. The continent, excluding Russia, contains less than one-tenth of the total population of the world, but in general its people are well educated and highly skilled. Aby witryna CORDIS dziaaa poprawnie, obsuga JavaScript musi by wczona. Europes largest islands and archipelagoes include Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land, Svalbard, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, the British Isles, the Balearic Islands, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Malta, Crete, and Cyprus. These ideas have been tested during times of peace and military conflict, and continue to be redefined today.Historic IssuesEuropes early political history can be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome, both of which profoundly affected how Western civilizations govern their territories and citizens.Described as the birthplace of democracy, ancient Greece revolved around the polis, or city-state. It's a multi-lingual continent. These events had a devastating effect on Denmarks reputation as a progressive and welcoming country. Yet it was not until the 19th and 20th centuries that modern science was able to draw with some precision the geologic and geographic lineaments of the European continent, the peoples of which had meanwhile achieved domination overand set in motion vast countervailing movements amongthe inhabitants of much of the rest of the globe (see Western colonialism). The coasts of the northwestern highlandsand in particular the fjords of Norwayinvite maritime enterprise. When you reach out to him or her, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource. Those highland areas include lands of abundant rainfallwhich supplies hydroelectricity and water to industrial citiesand provide summer pastures for cattle. It happens to be the longest river in Europe and covers 3,692 km/ 2,295 miles long. Can you think of anything notable you think I should have included? Mount Olympus became the first national park in Greece. It has been somewhat problematical to pin down the biggest glacier in Europe because biggest is open to interpretation of length, depth and width, plus they can change quite dramatically in a short space of time. It stands 10,922 feet high on the coast of the Mediterranean island Sicily. The European Union has established the Schengen Areaa zone where Europeans can travel from country to country without having to show their passports. The western part of the continent clearly has a high proportion of coastline with good maritime access and often with inland penetration by means of navigable rivers. In fact, the most famous symbol of the Iron Curtain was the Berlin Wall, which divided the East German city of Berlin into western and eastern-controlled parts.The economic and political demise of the Soviet Union led to the end of the Iron Curtain in the late 1980s. Only hill masses less than 800 feet (240 metres) in height rise gently within the Russian (East European) Plain, which continues northward into Finland, westward into the North European Plain, and southward in the Romanian, Bulgarian, and Hungarian plains. Sweden has a long history that began with prehistoric hunting camps in the southernmost part of the country. Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. Physiographically, it is the northwestern peninsula of the larger landmass known as Eurasia (or the larger Afro-Eurasia); Asia occupies the centre and east of this continuous landmass. The geology of Europe is hugely varied and complex, and gives rise to the wide variety of landscapes found across the continent, from the Scottish Highlands to the rolling plains of Hungary. These camps were mostly populated by Roma, also called Gypsies. Join this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC43qCBEfmy-wouPmYlLSpIg/join#europe #India #gypsiesContact Us- info@themysticaland.. The Grand Canal, Venice, Italy. San Marino and Vatican City, two fully sovereign nations, are both completely surrounded by Italy. Europe is sometimes called a "peninsula of peninsulas", to draw attention to the fact that Europe is a relatively small, elongated appendage to Asia, and that a large part of Europe is made up of peninsulas. Regional climatic contrasts nevertheless exist: oceanic, Mediterranean, and continental types occur widely, as do gradations from one to the other. Ethnic Groups / People of Europe are at 87. European countries saw an increase in immigration after World War II. National Geographic Society is a 501 (c)(3) organization. Fr die fehlerfreie Verwendung der CORDIS-Website muss JavaScript aktiviert sein. Although this area remains heavily forested, the continent's forests were drastically reduced as a result of intense urbanization throughout human history. There is ongoing debate on where the geographical centre of Europe falls. Fewer than a million people are fluent in Romansch. Fortuitously, Europe has no continuous mountain obstacle aligned north-south, corresponding, for example, to the Western Cordillera of North America and the Andes Mountains of South America, that would limit access into western Europe from the ocean. They created clothing and tents out of reindeer hides, sewing together the cloth with twine made from the animals tendons.Keeping track of herds and individual animals became increasingly important in Sami life. By the 7th and 8th centuries, Sweden was known for its trade but in the 9th century, the Vikings raided the region and much of Europe. The only primate native to Europe, the Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus), inhabits this Mediterranean basin. The Central Powers (led by the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Ottoman Empire) fell to the forces of the Allied Powers (led by the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire). The proportion of people older than 65 will grow from 16 percent to 28 percent. Lands lying at high elevations can, of course, be lands of low relief, but on the European continent relief tends to become more rugged as elevation increases. Glaciers are found in a surprisingly large number of European countries, including Iceland, Norway, Spain, France, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. The five most spoken native languages in Europe are Russian, German, French English, Turkish and Italian. It was clear as well that a succession of climates, markedly different from those of the Mediterranean borderlands, were to be experienced as Europe was penetrated from the south. The northern plains are delimited in the west by the Scandinavian mountains and the mountainous parts of the British Isles. Among the alternative boundaries proposed by geographers that have gained wide acceptance is a scheme that sees the crest of the Greater Caucasus range as the dividing line between Europe and Asia, placing Ciscaucasia, the northern part of the Caucasus region, in Europe and Transcaucasia, the southern part, in Asia. The Iron Curtain was an ideological boundary that divided Europe into two blocsWestern countries influenced by the United States, and Eastern countries influenced by the Soviet Union. Political geography is the internal and external relationships between governments, citizens, and territories. Europe's highest peak, Mount Elbrus at 5,642 meters (18,510 feet), is in the Caucasus Mountains of Russia. The political cartoons sought to engage in the debate surrounding Muslim extremism. Huge herds of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) feed on these tiny plants.The taiga, which stretches across northern Europe just south of the tundra, is composed of coniferous forests, with trees such as pine, spruce, and fir. Europe has a long history of human development and is considered the birthplace of Western Civilization. The program highlights Europes rich cultural diversity, celebrates its cultural ties, and brings people of different European backgrounds together. Swiss-Italian is distinguishable from Italian.Romansch, an endangered language, is also derived from Latin. As observed on Germany's physical map, the country's topography varies significantly from north to south. Mountain ranges, such as the Alps and the Carpathian mountains, have a highland climate with large variations according to altitude and latitude. Ireland: geography and landscape. Europe is the second-smallest continent. It is characterized by simple, minimalist design and low-cost mass production. Early Europeans, in fact, shaped global ideas of citizenship and government. [further explanation needed], The longest rivers in Europe, directly flowing into the World Ocean or Endorheic basins, with their approximate lengths:[4][5]. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The North European Plain remains the most densely populated region of Europe.Central UplandsThe Central Uplands extend east-west across Central Europe and include western France and Belgium, southern Germany, the Czech Republic, and parts of northern Switzerland and Austria.The Central Uplands are lower in altitude and less rugged than the Alpine region and are heavily wooded. Grades 6 - 12+ Subjects Arts and Music, Economics, Geography, Human Geography, Social Studies, World History Photograph Europe Europe is the western peninsula of the giant "supercontinent" of Eurasia. Each country could easily make a contribution with an interesting fact as the landscape changes so dramatically across small spaces, unlike other continents. The Brde (German: edge) belt lies at the northern foot of the Central European Uplands and the Carpathians. Read More: 25 Unbelievable Facts about North Korea that you must know. The topography of the country is divided very clearly between the hilly Oesling of the . To contact our editors please use our contact form. In spite of its internal diversity, Europe has thus functioned, from the time it first emerged in the human consciousness, as a world apart, concentratingto borrow a phrase from Christopher Marloweinfinite riches in a little room.. Europe's population is 741.4 million people. Italian fashion is also an important cultural export. [citation needed] These two halves are separated by the mountain chains of the Pyrenees and the Alps/Carpathians. The North European Plain, common to much of Poland, northern Germany, and Denmark, broadens in western France and continues, across the narrow seas, in southeastern Great Britain and Ireland. Geography of Europe Europe is traditionally defined as one of seven continents. Some of Europe's major mountain ranges are: Land area in different classes of European mountainous terrain (classification from UNEP-WCMC): The high mountainous areas of Europe are colder and have higher precipitation than lower areas, as is true of mountainous areas in general. It is one of the biggest glaciers in the world, covering almost 9,000 sq km (3,500 square miles). Of the top 10 largest lakes in Europe, 6 are in Russia, although 1 partly sits in Estonia. In fact, the tallest mountain in Europe is in Kazakhstan and is called Khan Tengri, standing 22,999 feet high, some 4,500 feet higher than the next tallest, Mount Elbrus in Russia. Indented by numerous bays, fjords, and seas, continental Europes highly irregular coastline is about 24,000 miles (38,000 km) long. The Kimmel Falls are the tallest in Europe and also 5th in the list of the worlds highest waterfalls. The population of the City of Brussels is ~175,000. Antwerp is the biggest city of the country. It looks at mountains and valleys, as well as rivers and oceans. European Commission: European Capital of Culture. MLS # 1863863 Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. [3] [4] It is bordered to the north and northeast by Russia, to the . Europe occupies some 4 million square miles (10 million square km) within the conventional borders assigned to it. For the political geography of Europe, see, Countries consisting solely of islands or parts of islands, Countries bordering or spanning another continent, Countries whose capital is not the most populous, List of countries by the number of other countries they border, Last edited on 19 February 2023, at 19:57, List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Europe, List of European tornadoes and tornado outbreaks, List of the highest European ultra-prominent peaks, Special member state territories and the European Union, Language facts European day of languages, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Geography_of_Europe&oldid=1140367331, Lower Danubian Plain, between Balkan Mountains and, This page was last edited on 19 February 2023, at 19:57. Trade relations beyond its frontiers also drew the remoter regions into its sphere. As glaciers receded from the area, they left a number of distinct physical features, including abundant marshlands, lakes, and fjords. The city is home to the headquarters of luxury brands such as Valentino, Gucci, Versace, and Prada. It was a barbarian worldthat is, a non-Greek one, with its inhabitants making bar-bar noises in unintelligible tongues. The program has provided a lasting economic boost to cities and regions, raised their international profiles, and enhanced their images in the eyes of their own inhabitants.Each year, two or three cities are chosen to produce a year-long program of cultural events. Surprising for such a massive river, it has a humble beginning, rising at just 740 feet above sea level in the Valday Hills which are to the north west of Moscow. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. Germany's largest wooded area,. A contrast exists between the configuration of peninsular, or western, Europe and that of eastern Europe, which is a much larger and more continental area. Lake Ladoga is the worlds 14th largest lake by area, and Russia also has the deepest lake in the world Lake Baikal. The biggest is Lake Ladoga, which covers just under 7,000 square miles and sits close to St. Petersburg. Population Density188 people per square kilometer, Highest ElevationMount Elbrus, Russia (5,642 meters/18,510 feet), Most Renewable Electricity ProducedIceland (99.9%; hydropower, geothermal), Largest Urban AreaMoscow, Russia (16.2 million people), Largest WatershedVolga River (1.38 million square km/532,821 square miles). Ive enjoyed my journey through some facts of European geography hope you did too! Certain countries and regions have even developed an identity or branding focused on specific products and exports.Scandinavian design, for instance, is primarily focused on fashion and home wares. 11. The forests and grasslands of Western and Central Europe have been almost completely domesticated, with crops and livestock dominant.Finally, small, drought-resistant plants border the Mediterranean Sea, Europe's southern edge. La Boule measures 7.5 miles and is served by a lovely and ancient seaside town where many of the French elite have holiday homes. The most important rivers in Europe are Danube, Volga, Rhine, Elbe, Oder and Dnieper, among others. The goals of the program are local, regional, and global. Il sito web di CORDIS prevede che JavaScript sia abilitato per funzionare correttamente. Imperialism is a policy of extending a nations power and influence through diplomacy or military force. Europe has a long history of human development and is considered the birthplace of Western Civilization. Geographically, Turkey forms a natural land bridge between the old world continents of Asia, Africa and Europe. Updates? The highest peaks in those ranges are Mount Corno (9,554 feet [2,912 metres]) in the Abruzzi Apennines, Bobotov Kuk (8,274 feet [2,522 metres]) in the Dinaric Alps, Mount Botev (7,795 feet [2,376 metres]) in the Balkan Mountains, Gerlachovsk Peak (Gerlach; 8,711 feet [2,655 metres]) in the Western Carpathians, and Mount Moldoveanu (8,346 feet [2,544 metres]) in the Transylvanian Alps. Topography and bathymetry are shown in a combination of color with shaded relief. It is the continent's second largest island (after Great Britain). That civilization is distinguished from the rest of Europe by legacies of a medieval Mongol-Tatar domination that precluded the sharing of many of the innovations and developments of European Western civilization; it became further distinctive during the relative isolation of the Soviet period. This rescue package has caused tensions to rise between economically competitive countries and the indebted countries that they are helping to rescue. Kosovo is a. The region includes the mountains of the Alps, Pyrenees, Apennines, Dinaric Alps, Balkans, and Carpathians.High elevations, rugged plateaus, and steeply sloping land define the region. This idea of citizenshipof being connected to and having a voice in your communitybecame the basic building block of democracy. 4. The greater part of Europe, however, combines low elevation with low relief. Within the standard geographical boundaries, it is comprised of 737 million. The debate surrounding the cartoons also intensified strained relations between the Islamic world and the West.In 2010, the French government dismantled illegal immigrant camps throughout France. The major peninsula of Scandinavia is mostly upland and highland, with its relief greatest at the descent to the Norwegian fjords and the sea; eastward and southward the seas are approached more gently. This is a main theme of The Odyssey, an epic poem written by Homer, in which these key elements of the sea both help and hurt the hero.Other cultures developed around the unique resources at their disposal. The tallest mountain in Europe is Mount Elbrus in Russia. Projects are meant to stay a part of the city after 2011some pieces of sculpture may be used for athletics, for instance. A landlocked country of towering mountains, deep Alpine lakes, grassy valleys dotted with . The volcanoes of Lemnos, an island in the Mediterranean, and Mount Etna, on the island of Sicily, were believed to be the forges of Hephaestus, the Greek god of fire. Europe's main peninsulas are the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan, located in southern Europe, and the Scandinavian and Jutland, located in Northern Europe. International economic and military organizations developed on either side of the Iron Curtain. A contrast exists between the configuration of peninsular, or western, Europe and that of eastern Europe, which is a much larger and more continental area. 1. All the major bodies of water in Europe have been fished for centuries. Southward of the limits of the northern glacial ice are vales and hills, with the Paris and London basins typical examples. Elevations in those areas are mainly between about 500 and 2,000 feet (150 and 600 metres), and many steep slopes are to be seen. The financial and diplomatic success of the EU has led to its rapid growth across the continent.The euro is one of the strongest currencies in the world. It includes parts of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Poland, the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), and Belarus.Most of the Great European Plain lies below 152 meters (500 feet) in elevation. 0. Check out this amazing list of Austria facts that include history, food, culture, and more. Roma are a people and culture native to central and eastern Europe. The 4,506 sq. The Sami followed and cared for these herds during their grazing cycle. When you reach out to him or her, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource. Around 10% of the world's population lives in Europe. The gods could both reward and punish travelers and traders with favorable or unfavorable sea conditions. The city of Milan is regarded as a major fashion capital, hosting an international fashion week twice a year. It is the continent's second largest island (after Great Britain). A convenient division is made by a line linking the base of the peninsula of Jutland with the head of the Adriatic Sea. In the extreme northern part (northernmost Russia; Svalbard), bordering the Arctic Ocean, is tundra climate (Et). Only North Korea has such high literacy rates as Ukraine. Some of these facts about Europe are newer than others. As to the territorial limits of Europe, they may seem relatively clear on its seaward flanks, but many island groups far to the north and westSvalbard, the Faroes, Iceland, and the Madeira and Canary islandsare considered European, while Greenland (though tied politically to Denmark) is conventionally allocated to North America. Topographic maps (often called topo maps for short) are large scale maps, often greater than 1:50,000, which means that one inch on the map equals 50,000 inches on the ground. Topography studies the . Many of its events encouraged community involvement and civic engagement. The principal articles discussing the historical and cultural development of the continent include history of Europe; European exploration; Western colonialism; Aegean civilizations; ancient Greek civilization; ancient Rome; Byzantine Empire; and Holy Roman Empire. Whats the Difference Between Great Britain and the United Kingdom? About a quarter of marine mammals are threatened.Today, around 15 percent of Europe's animal species are threatened or endangered, mainly by habitat loss, pollution, overexploitation, and competition from invasive species. These regional labels are used more for identification than for regional analysis. Greeces many earthquakes, and the tsunamis they caused, were connected to the sea god Poseidon, known as the Earth Shaker. Cults and temples centered on Poseidon were built throughout the Aegean and Mediterranean seas as a means of appeasing the god.As maritime trade and exploration developed in the region, winds and currents connected to Poseidon became important in Greek mythology. The Netherlands is bordered by Germany in the east; and Belgium in the south. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Enacting regional social policies and economic legislation, especially through bodies like the European Union, may help curb that trend. The southern regions are mountainous while moving north the terrain descends from the high Alps, Pyrenees, and Carpathians, through hilly uplands, into broad, low northern plains, which are vast in the east. Asia is not Europe ;-). Other European islands are much smaller. Switzerland's small sizeits total area is about half that of Scotlandand its modest population give little indication of its international significance. Russia is Europe's largest country. The central uplands and plateaus present distinctive landscapes of rounded summits, steep slopes, valleys, and depressions. This is the largest landlocked country in the world. Switzerland's administrative capital is Bern, while Lausanne serves as its judicial centre. Greater Milan is the largest Metropolitan Area in Italy. All in all, Europe enjoys a considerable and long-exploited resource base of soil, forest, sea, and minerals (notably coal), but its people are increasingly its principal resource. 2. Today much of topography is focused on creating 3D representations of the Earth's surface. Kazakhstan. Routes detour around, or seek gaps through, those uplandswhose German appellation, Horst (thicket), recalls their still wooded character, while their coal basins give them great economic importance. January average range from 13C in southern Spain and southern Greek islands to -20C in the northeastern part of European Russia. This article treats the physical and human geography of Europe. Many of the most socially and economically powerful elements of these societies will be led by immigrants.Developing countries, such as those in eastern and southern Europe, are expected to bear the worst of the depopulation trend. It is geographically positioned both in the Northern and Eastern hemispheres of the Earth. Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. In the face of an economic crisis, EU citizens of poorer member countries, such as the Roma of Bulgaria and Romania, often migrate to more developed EU countries in search of work. The Sami culture of Scandinavia, for example, was deeply connected to the indigenous reindeer herds of the Arctic. Among the struggling economies that may suffer from carbon emission limits are Romania, Bulgaria, and Moldova.Thus, it seems that Europes historic disparities between north and south, west and east, will continue to widen in the future. 5 x Fun Facts about Europe The longest town name in Europe is Lanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogo, in Wales The Czech Republic is the most beer-drinking country per capita There are more UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe than any other continent in the world The highest toilet can be found at Mount Blanc The well-watered plateaus give rise to many rivers and are well adapted to pastoral farming. Borders between existing nations, such as Poland and Russia, were entirely redrawn.World War II (1939-1945) left about 43 million Europeans dead, including about 6 million who died in the Holocaust. Yet the peninsular and insular western extremity of the continent, thrusting toward the North Atlantic Ocean, providesthanks to its latitude and its physical geographya relatively genial human habitat, and the long processes of human history came to mark off the region as the home of a distinctive civilization.